Determine the proper category for each entryCompetition organizers may not assist in determining categories for entrants. You may edit this information until March 14. Make sure to reprint bottle labels before shipping if entry information is edited.Pro Tip: Read and review the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines and use a commercial example of a style while assessing your entry to see which subcategory it best fits.

Print Bottles Labels
Print out bottles labels for each entry and attach a bottle label with only arubber band to each of the two (2) bottles required for an entry.Pro Tip: Only print labels and attach to bottles with rubber band right before packaging to ship or drop-off entries.

Shipping Window
The Shipping Window is March 1 through March 14 (Close of Business). Entries may only arrive within these dates and may otherwise be disqualified. Make sure each bottle has a label and bottles are packaged for shipping. The place to ship or drop-off is found on the bottle labels and may be changed in your Brewer Profile.Pro Tip: Package and pay for your entries online, mark as “Glassware,” and request a tracking number to know when your package arrives. Do not contact receiving locations about your package.

Judge or StewardCome judge or steward for any of the First Round judging centers. You can sign up in your Brewer Profile under “Edit My Info.”

Important Judging Stuff

Entries judged by certified beer judges
Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges, beer aficionados and volunteers will evaluate your entries across 34 categories. These categories may be found in the Rules & Regulations and are reorganized for competition purposes from the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines.

Scoresheets
Once all entries have been judged, you will be notified and receive at least two (2) scoresheets per entry via the email associated with your Brewer Profile. Please be patient and give us 10 days after the judging is completed to deliver your scoresheets.

Certificates & Ribbons (They’re Different!)
The National Homebrew Competition believes in recognizing quality entries. A certificate is a recognition of an entry’s quality and does not mean it placed in its respective category. A certificate is a recognition of an entry’s quality and does not mean it placed in its respective category.
Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates are given out by the following criteria:

Gold Certificate – Earned by entries scoring 38-50 points in the First Round.

Silver Certificate – Earned by entries scoring 30-37 points in the First Round.

Bronze Certificate – Earned by entries scoring 25-29 points in the First Round.

Post Competition PackageAfter the First Round concludes, all entrants receive a post competition package in their Brewer Profileby May 9. This will contain any certificates your entries received and a competition letter. The letter will have your entry’s score and, if applicable, a placement in a category. A certificate does not indicate advancement to the Final Round. An entry indicated with a placement in your post-competition letter means advancement.Note: Entrants advancing to the Final Round will receive instructions at a later date regarding the Final Round.

Winners ListsWinners will be posted to the website once results are verified by the AHA after judging is completed. In an effort to create unbiased final round judging for more rare styles, only the BJCP category will be posted in the lists and the sub-style letter will be excluded until the award ceremony in June.

Member Deal on Shipping Container

We highly encourage you to use the AHA Member Deal on Spirited Shipperspackaging containers. They are very effective, easy to pack and unpack, and will cut down on the competition’s overall waste footprint!

Click “Online Deals” and scroll down to Spirited Shippers.

Provisional Styles in Competition

As you may be aware, the BJCP announced four provisional styles in July, 2018. These are provisional styles, considered drafts and are not officially listed as styles in the competition. The Rules & Regulations state the AHA and organizers of the competition may not assist entrants when choosing styles. However, the AHA generally advises entering entries in these new provisional styles as follows:

Please note judges will be reminded of these provisional styles when judging.

Registration for Homebrew Con opens March 15! Don’t miss this three-day extravaganza of homebrewing camaraderie, inspiration and education. You might even collect a National Homebrew Competition medal at the Award Ceremony on June 29 in Providence, R.I.